Rick Warren�s The Purpose Driven Church has been selected as one of the �100 Books that Changed the 20th Century,� and has sold over a million copies in 20 languages. Its sales volume is only behind the Bible currently. Over 50,000 church leaders around the world have been trained in its principles. This model of church life and practice has become the watershed issue of our time in the area of ecclesiology. The Purpose Driven Paradigm (PDP) sees the purpose of the Church in strictly pragmatic terms: the Church (particularly the regular public functioning of the Church) exists to grow, by whatever means are the most attractive to the lost world.

Operating on the general, unbiblical, concept that the unbelieving world really wants to know the truth and is seeking it (and they will like it if it is only packaged properly), the PDP makes man�s opinions the guidepost for the life of the Church. (Contrast Romans 3:11; Psalm 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1 Peter 2:7, 8.) The most obvious manifestation of the PDP viewpoint is placing more emphasis upon the manner of presentation than upon the substance of the content of the Church�s message. This emphasis is strange, since the thinking is that God doesn�t care how we present things�apparently, though, man does, and the PDP insists that man be given the priority in this area. Warren writes, �I�ve heard pastors proudly say, �We�re not here to entertain.� Obviously they�re doing a good job at it. A Gallup poll a few years ago stated that, according to the unchurched, the church is the most boring place to be�. To the unchurched, dull preaching is unforgivable. Truth poorly delivered is ignored. On the other hand, the unchurched will listen to absolute foolishness if it is interesting� (Purpose Driven Church, p. 231). Ironically, the truth of that last statement condemns Warren�s own reliance upon looking to large numbers of congregants as a measure of the blessing of God upon the Church. Contrast the PDP with the words of the Apostle Paul: �And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God� (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

The essential problem with the PDP is that man is unabashedly the measure of all things (Judges 21:25). This problem results in numerous erroneous approaches to the ministry of the Church. For example:

• The PDP�s entire strategy is based upon the concept that unbelievers are seeking after God, in spite of the fact that the Bible could not be clearer to the contrary, �There is none who seeks after God� (Romans 3:11). Warren devotes an entire chapter of his book to �Designing a Seeker-Sensitive Service� (pp. 251-77) on the assumption that the lost are searching for God and the Church�s job is to help them find him.
• The PDP values the opinions of unbelievers more than the opinions of God as revealed in His Word, believing that �felt needs� should dictate what is said from the pulpit. George Barna, a PDP proponent, declares that �It is�critical that we keep in mind a fundamental principle of Christian communication: the audience, not the message, is sovereign� (Marketing the Church, p. 145). Warren himself puts it this way: �One reason sermon study is so difficult for many pastors is because they ask the wrong question. Instead of asking, �What shall I preach on this Sunday?� they should be asking, �To whom will I be preaching?� Simply thinking through the needs of the audience will help determine God�s will for the message�. People�s immediate needs are a key to where God would have you begin speaking on that particular occasion� (Purpose Driven Church, p. 227). Compare this thinking with Galatians 1:10-12.
• The PDP asserts that Christians must think like non-Christians to reach them. Warren tells his readers, �Adapt your style to fit your audience�. You cannot start with a text, expecting the unchurched to be fascinated by it. You must first capture their attention, and then move them to the truth of God�s Word� (Purpose Driven Church, p. 294-95) Compare this assertion with Ephesians 4:17-18. Believers are to stop thinking like unbelievers.
• The PDP believes God is not concerned with the manner of His creatures� entering into His presence. Biblical warrant is not considered in choices regarding music, drama, and other elements incorporated in worship, only whether or not the target audience likes the style. Warren declared, �The unchurched culture determines our style�. The key question is, �Who are you trying to impress?� The unchurched populations determine our goals� (stated at a Purpose Driven Church seminar, January 1998, quoted by Dennis Costella, �The Church Growth Movement: An Analysis of Rick Warren�s �Purpose Driven� Church Growth Strategy,� Foundation, March-April 1998, n.p.). Compare his statement with John 15:18; 1 Chronicles 16:29; and 1 Peter 1:13-16.
• The PDP profoundly misunderstands the nature of the Church, ignoring the Biblical teaching that the institution and worship of the Church exists for the glorification of God Himself and the edification of believers, who in turn go out into the world to evangelize. Warren declares, �The church is a hospital for sinners� (Purpose Driven Church, p. 257). Compare Ephesians 4:11-16.